Pony Therapy

Before I explain pony therapy I'll catch up on Blue Ridge Parkway; the Virginia portion.  After my  hilly bike ride of the previous day (mentioned in my last post), I started out my morning a little slow but got it in gear to enjoy a great 10 or so mile hike on the Rock Castle Gorge trail. Apparently, somewhere along the route there are rock crystals that reminded folks of castle turrets; hence the trail name, but I didn't see any of the crystals. The trail started out with a long, steep descent into the gorge. Parts of the trail were narrow with exposure and blanketed in thick, slick leaves. Deep in the gorge there were more leaves remaining on the trees than in the more exposed places, where trees have lost their leaves (fall has fallen).

 

Once I hit the bottom of the gorge, the trail started a gentle uphill along a stream, but was still heavily wooded so not much for views. I can't quite figure out what the strange tree (or root system?) in the photo below is, but it was interesting.  The ascent got steeper and finally broke out of trees as I got closer to the top. Thanks to ladders like the one pictured below, the route included a number of cow pastures and, of course, cows.



It was such a treat to break out of the trees into the sunlight and expansive views of farmlands.




As I was getting close to the top of the hike up I came across 2 white tail deer; a 3 or 4 point buck and a doe but I didn't get very good photos.  The views from and near the top were very nice and the stroll through the open pastures in the sunshine very rewarding.



The next day I took a variety of short hikes along the Parkway, including visiting a display of historic Appalachian way of life, including a picturesque, water-wheel-driven grain mill, pictured below along with the stones used in the grain grinder.




From there I headed north toward the highest point in Virginia. I spent  election night in a Walmart parking lot, not quite reaching my destination -- Grayson Highlands State Park. I woke up at 2 am and checked election results and again at 3. When I woke up again in the light of day, I wondered if perhaps I'd dreamed my wee hours news gathering? Nope... As I was driving I fretted about what might become of our nation, but the decision is made. All we can do is hope for the best.

Once I arrived at Grayson, I selected my campsite for the next 2 nights and headed off on my hike to the top of Virginia -- Mt. Rogers. I knew there would be no view from that summit but the views on the way up to the woods were truly amazing, and the "wildlife" was very therapeutic. My concerns over election results were soon replaced with great happiness.



The scenery is quite different than what I'd been seeing but what made it totally delightful were the ponies. It used to be that cattle were grazed in the highlands to fatten them  up before they were sold. But once it became a park, the cattle were no more and the habitat became overgrown. So they introduced wild ponies as "weed eaters".  They round them up once a year for a health check and sell off a few to keep the herd size under control. They are hearty little beasts that can survive the windswept highlands year round.

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Guess what? Ponies can't read. And they are so darned cute that when they are nuzzling around, you can't help but pet them (it also keeps them from nibbling at you).






It was fun to interact with them; they made me happy and they really add to the beautiful views of the area.




Some of the ponies had amazingly long manes. It's a wonder they can see through them.



I hiked for 3 days (40 miles) in Grayson Highlands. The first day I hiked up into the clouds to the highest point in VA. I knew there would be no view so it didn't matter that the clouds were descending. I had views on the way up but coming back down, the clouds had settled in even at the lower elevation and there was blowing snizzle (snow/drizzle). I was happy to settle into my van and turn on the heat as the wind gusted outside. The next day started out windy but the afternoon was amazing with almost no wind and no clouds. What a difference a day makes! It was so peaceful that I stayed at length at numerous highpoints to enjoy the views. It would have been a perfect night for a fire at my campsite but by the time I got back, the place that sells firewood was closed and they discourage local wood gathering. Today the winds didn't die down and high clouds were forming but there was no precipitation.

I don't like driving at night so once I finished my 14 mile hike late this afternoon I started heading back toward Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and got as far as the same Walmart parking lot before it got too dark.  Tomorrow it's back to the Parkway to resume my explorations on my southward journey.